As 2018 approaches, Starling Safety has ranked 251 countries and territories worldwide to show which will be most vulnerable to natural disasters in the coming year.

The Disaster Vulnerability Index takes into account the probability of serious incidents occurring, as well as the resilience of the local authorities and their ability to respond to potential disasters.

At the top of the list is Haiti. The poorest country in the Americas lies in an active seismic zone and in the path of hurricanes, leaving it both vulnerable to disasters and unable to deal with the aftermath.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, also performs badly in the index, but the country is better equipped to respond to a crisis.

The country we consider to be least vulnerable to natural disasters is Qatar. The Gulf emirate occasionally suffers dust storms and very limited seismic activity but natural disasters are almost unheard of. The authorities are also well-resourced and would be able to respond in the event of any unusual incidents.

Other countries low down on the vulnerability index included many parts of Europe, particularly the Nordic countries, as well as Switzerland, which is second best in the index.

Inevitably, areas lying on the edge of tectonic plates or in the usual path of tropical storms tend to be highest on the list.

However, one of the biggest factors affecting the index is economics. The most at-risk areas tend to be poorer countries, where the government often lacks the resources to prepare for disasters or deal with them when they occur.

As an example, Japan, which lies in a typhoon belt and in one of the most seismically active parts of the world, ranks fairly well on the vulnerability index at 139/251. Despite suffering regular disasters, the country expends vast amounts of energy building resilient infrastructure, preparing its citizens and generally strengthening itself.

The country is therefore one of the most prepared in the world, although as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami demonstrate, even the most prepared country can still suffer extensively at the hands of mother nature.

In terms of mitigating the risk of natural disaster, governments can practise readiness, ensure that building regulations are up-to-date and well-enforced and make sure that the emergency services are funded, trained and ready to respond to incidents, even if they occur in remote or inaccessible areas.

Individual travellers can prepare by researching destinations in advance, avoiding higher risk times of the year (such as hurricane season), selecting good quality accommodation and having contingency plans in place in case disaster strikes.